Commissioner Guidance on Return to In-Person

The MA Commissioner of Education releases initial Guidance on In-Person Learning and Student Learning Time.
Letterhead

March 10, 2021


Dear Families, 

On Monday, March 8, 2021 we notified you that the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education stated that schools will be required to shift their hybrid learning models to in-person instruction five days per week, beginning in April, when hybrid instruction will no longer count toward structured time on learning. The Commissioner also stated that parents and guardians who wish for their children to learn in a fully remote learning mode will still have that option.

As a result of this new requirement, STGRSD plans to phase out the hybrid learning model for ALL students, K-12, in the coming weeks. During this time, the hybrid learning model will be replaced by five day in-person learning. Families will still have the option to choose fully remote learning for the remainder of the 20/21 school year. 

We know that many of you have questions about this transition to five day in-person learning. Yesterday, the Commissioner released initial Guidance on In-Person Learning and Student Learning Time Requirements related to this change. A copy of that guidance is available on the State website: https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop.html 

It is important to note that the dates listed in the Commissioner’s guidance are deadlines for implementation. STGRSD has not yet set it’s timeline and may choose to accelerate the implementation of full-time, in-person instruction. The STGRSD timeline will be established after the data is received from families via the STGRSD Return to In-person Learning: Enrollment Selection (linked below). All families must complete the Enrollment Selection so the District can finalize plans. Any student who does not have a completed enrollment selection will be placed in their current learning mode. This means that hybrid students will automatically transition to five day in-person learning and fully remote students will remain in the fully remote cohort until the end of the 20/21 school year.

Please visit the District website today to complete one enrollment selection per student. The deadline for completion is March 14, 2021.
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7J1o1m5JbkiK5ut2K-7JN1KPJ-EOUhxIiMHDm4rzilhUQVhQR0M4QkM2RVExSFQ0RzY0STVPNlYzMy4u

Thank you for patience and support. 
Sincerely, 
Superintendent Willard
Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District